True figure for rate of unemployment?

How can we find the true figure for unemployment?

The government’s “unemployment rate” statistic is a propaganda device. It does not count as “unemployed” people who are “not in the labor force.” According to economist Richard DuBoff, participation in the labor force by working-age males has been drifting downward for more than 40 years. Therefore, the government’s official “unemployment rate” is an increasingly misleading statistic.

If you are out of work voluntarily...should you be counted as unemployed?

I guess it works both ways?

The current formula is probably the best way.

It is my understanding that unemployment figures come from the # of unemployment checks that are cut - however once you are no longer elegible to collect (I believe it was 26 weeks) you fell off the radar from the unemployment calculations.

reply to post by angelonmyshoulder


so the real figure would be what...over 30% or more unemployment?

And also if I can't find a job I like or want, do I count as unemployed? Does it matter there are 50 jobs available nearby if I don't like them and am waiting for something gravy to open up?

check out shadowstats.com it will help you to understand how the economic indicators are sorely manipulated. Unemployment closer to 15%.

reply to post by warrenb


You should thank deceased ex President Reagan who changed many laws. It was then when I could sense bad times are coming in reference to losing jobs. Mr. Benson, the Senator, whom I believed to be nice person, was the chairman of Labor Committee. He is responsible for creating contract worker laws. The changes were made then to reflect only the people as part of the statistics for unemployment who would receive unemployment compensation. Not the people that are actively looking for jobs but doesn't qualify for unemployment cheques. In line with this they also made stringent rules for collecting unemployment. In other words, they gave upper hand to employers. If they lied that you left volunteerly or no show to work, you wouldn't qualify for unemployment. I read that today there are more than 50% of population that lost their jobs and actively looking. Those people may be working in Mcdonald resturant or School Bus driver just to hang on financially. That population is not part of the unemployment statistics. Before Reagan, all these figures used to be part of statistics. What is happening today, started out from Reagan's time. Big corporations moving out, Banking system, Financial disaster. Every thing started out from that time. If you look at Jimmy Carter's presidency, what the Banks were asking, the Oil Companies, Utilities. Jimmy Carter was the most honest President, he refused all the attempts of Secret Societies and thats why he lost 2nd term.

[edit on 24-11-2008 by charlie0]

That's the thing of it - there is no way to track unemployment once they stop collecting the check. So the true unemployment rate can never be known.

reply to post by warrenb

How to find the true figure of unemployment?

Let's have a poll!

I am on unemployment !

I covered the manipulated unemployment figures in this thread.

The best way to get a reasonable estimation would be to use the U6 number released by the BLS. If you want to get even more specific you can work through the Birth/Death Model and subtract out those numbers, but no way to tell how accurate those are.

I can't speak to a way to hammer down a real number; I have felt for quite some time that the true number is likely to be around 15%. The government number simply counts those on the unemployment rolls. It does not count those who have had benefits run out, are now working part-time, or are trying to get by on savings in hopes of something new coming along. Unemployment and inflation numbers are manipulated by the government to paint the prettiest picture possible, and are not worth the paper they are printed on...kinda like the dollar!

[edit on 24-11-2008 by BennyHill]

reply to post by charlie0


Yes it started with St. Ronald. I think the old system counted members leaving the military within 3 months or so. That got changed also as it inflated the real number. It was changed to count ex-military after 6 months or so, unless you were retired, then it didn't matter.

St. Ronald not only invented the misery index, which will become more well know in the next few months, but also changed the inflation index. Do you happen to remember them also?

During the Regan adminstration they changed how employment was counted and removed many facets of unemployment including those unemployed for 180 days or more, this was a sinister plan to cover up what NATFA, GATT, and the service economy has done to us. Today long term unemployment due to jobs lost to the Chinese, and other countries taking our manufacturing jobs away from this country. We were sold a lie that a service economy would be wonderful ignoring economics 101. There is no economy with no manufacturing base. The manufacturing raw materials into products is what "creates" wealth.
Unless we demand that manufacturing comes back NOW, we will see much higher than the real 31% unemployment we now have, and lets not forget under employment. Under-Employment is the huge surge in part time jobs replacing full time and the underpaid jobs. if we kept up with inflation and didn't squander our job to overseas, the average factory worker today would make $37.00 an hour. If you say no way consider this, in 1970 a untrained factory worker could buy a 3 bedroom house in the suburbs, buy a NEW car every 2.5 years, send all 3 of his children to college without loans, save enough money to hand down the used cars to all 3 of his children and still save enough to retire with more income that he has working.

I remember those days and the constant lie that our society can afford expensive goods is just thats a lie. If its made here the pay enables us to afford it. yes higher pay = higher cost goods, but think about this, you can actually afford them too. The bleeding of money to our enemies is killing our financial system with perpetual debt, and no jobs = no money to buy anything.

Regan and the corporate Whores wanted to make a quick buck and it has cost us our country.

PhineasPriest



reply to post by RRconservative

reply to post by warrenb


Thought you might like this easy to understand guide about the government massaging of unemployment figures:
www.mint.com...

reply to post by karl 12


Those statistics are more like what's actually going on.

Wonder how many 'zoinks' will have to happen before people get wise and go on a rampage against being manipulated?

Sorry Karl.
I didn't see your link!



[edit on 30-1-2009 by Clearskies]